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01:00Transcription by CastingWords
01:29A wave of democratic revolutions had swept from Germany through Poland and Hungary.
01:35The Iron Curtain had been brought down and the tanks had nowhere to go except home.
01:41I remember the East Germans finally had freedom and the wall came down.
01:46My reaction, my feeling was probably not the same feeling that the rest of the American public in Western Germany felt, which was this great elation for freedom and so forth.
01:57I think for those of us in uniform at the time, there may have also been a little bit of concern because what's next?
02:03At the end of the Cold War, US American tank commander Eric Schwartz was stationed in West Germany.
02:11The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of a world divided between East and West.
02:18Schwartz realised that stationing tanks in Europe no longer seemed to have a purpose, but he did not fathom that a century of tank history was close to being over.
02:27For decades, there had been little consensus on anything between the world's superpowers.
02:38Now they were all ready to sacrifice their tanks on the altar of an era of peace.
02:42With the end of the ideologies that shaped the 20th century, the tanks seemed to become obsolete.
03:00This broke the hearts of many men serving in and with them.
03:05These were huge machines, 48 tons each.
03:09A group of workers took to them with metal saws.
03:12It was a disturbing sight for me.
03:18I could even say I was sad.
03:23It even brought tears to my eyes.
03:28Paris, November 1990.
03:31The destiny of the tank was sealed.
03:37The Soviet Union, the United States and their respective allies all agreed.
03:4333,000 armoured vehicles had to be withdrawn from continental Europe or else destroyed within a decade.
03:50They come up with a statistic that each country can only have about a third of the western or the eastern force within its border and those numbers are remarkably less than were at the height of the Cold War.
04:08Many tanks were destroyed, but this treaty put us at a disadvantage.
04:19Groups of foreign observers were sent to the tank destruction sites.
04:22They controlled exactly how many tanks were destroyed and over what period.
04:29The Soviet Union had the world's largest tank fleets.
04:38Now it had to pay a steep price for this newfound peace.
04:42The destruction of each tank cost 30,000 German marks.
04:45The aim, of course, was perhaps convert them into some sort of peaceful vehicle.
04:52Very hard to do.
04:53There's very little you can do with a tank other than being a tank.
04:57And the other problem they had as well was how would you actually destroy these vast numbers of tanks.
05:02It's not that easy to just go and chop up a 60-ton vehicle.
05:09The idea of turning tanks into tractors or fire trucks turned out not to be feasible.
05:16At 80 litres per 100 kilometres, who would use such a vehicle in civilian life?
05:22In the former Eastern Bloc, many arms factories shut down and plunged entire cities into unemployment.
05:33Almost 75 years after its birth, the tanks seemed doomed.
05:40The next 30 years would either bring an end or a renaissance.
05:52In the early 90s, the world was awash with weapons and with tanks.
05:59So don't forget the Soviet Union is still selling to Africa.
06:04There's a huge number of African states.
06:06Middle Eastern countries are coming back for more once they've bought vehicles at certain times.
06:11Then you've got emerging markets such as India, Pakistan.
06:14They're also then turning up and buying a version of whatever was originally designed for
06:21The Red Army is now converted slightly and then sold.
06:25At the same time, America's doing the same thing.
06:30Throughout the Cold War, tanks had been good business for the US and USSR alike.
06:37Among those buying from the Soviets was Iraq.
06:40In the early 1990s, its ruler, Saddam Hussein,
06:43had ambitions to make his country the leader of the Arab world.
06:51Iraq then had the fourth largest army in the world,
06:54900,000 soldiers and 5,700 tanks.
06:59Its most feared units were Saddam Hussein's elite Republican guards.
07:07Raad Hamdani had been part of the Republican guard since its inception in the 1980s.
07:12Since our war against Iran lasted a long time,
07:22it became necessary to set up a well-trained battle force
07:25modeled on the US Marine Corps.
07:29We were chosen according to very specific criteria
07:32based on our history and the battles we had fought.
07:36This was a unique strike force.
07:38Each member was proud to be part of it.
07:40Raad Hamdani was one of Saddam Hussein's most trusted generals.
07:46He trained two of the leader's sons in the art of armoured warfare.
07:50As commander of the 17th Armoured Brigade,
07:53he was equipped with the Iraqi army's best tank, the T-72.
07:59The T-72 tank is a well-equipped high-tech tank.
08:03It carries 44 rounds of ammunition.
08:09It has a very precise cannon and is easy to drive and manoeuvre.
08:17It's much smaller than US or British tanks.
08:20The T-72 was the embodiment of the Cold War tank.
08:29It featured protection against nuclear and chemical weapons.
08:35Its gun was equipped with an automatic loader,
08:38allowing for rapid fire.
08:42Its powerful warheads could penetrate almost any kind
08:45and thickness of armour.
08:49The T-72 has a combination of many great features.
08:56It was a worldwide success in the 1970s and 80s.
09:03Over 25,000 T-72s were built in the Soviet Union or under licence,
09:08and more cheaply in Czechoslovakia and Poland.
09:11China copied the tank, producing uncounted further copies.
09:15Iraq had bought some 500 T-72s in the 1980s
09:19to bolster its tank forces during its war with Iran.
09:23This war lasted eight years
09:24and left Iraq at the verge of bankruptcy.
09:27Iraq's leader Saddam Hussein had to find a way
09:29to replenish his coffers.
09:31He decided to go to war again.
09:33If history teaches us anything,
09:39it is that we must resist aggression
09:42or it will destroy our freedoms.
09:45Appeasement does not work.
09:47As was the case in the 1930s,
09:50we see in Saddam Hussein
09:52an aggressive dictator threatening his neighbours.
09:55In the summer of 1990,
10:05Rad Hamdani was ordered to plan an invasion
10:07of Iraq's rich neighbour, Kuwait.
10:17On August 2, 1990,
10:20700 T-72 and T-55 tanks rolled into Kuwait.
10:25Within hours, they reached the capital, Kuwait City.
10:30But invading a friendly Arab nation
10:32put Rad Hamdani into a moral dilemma.
10:37I remember pulling down the visor of my helmet.
10:42I didn't want to see the Kuwaiti's anger.
10:44It was a very uneasy situation.
10:49I couldn't look at them.
10:52How could I look them in the eye?
10:54It was horrible.
11:00I ended up ordering the tanks to leave the city
11:02and turn their guns towards the desert.
11:11His troops began to carry out repressions
11:13against the people of Kuwait.
11:18Rad Hamdani could not imagine
11:20the consequences that this invasion would have.
11:25West Germany,
11:26thousands of kilometres away from the Arabian deserts.
11:31Douglas McGregor, a US tank commander,
11:33followed the news about the invasion.
11:36He was one of 220,000 US soldiers
11:39still stationed in Germany.
11:40And he knew that the invasion would not be the end of the war.
11:44I remember when Saddam went in.
11:47We then hoped that we would get a chance to go
11:50because we had no mission on the border.
11:52We dismantled our camps on the border.
11:53We were no longer a reaction force.
11:56The only thing we could look forward to
11:57were boring gunneries and boring manoeuvres
12:00where there really wasn't an enemy to prepare for.
12:04So all through October,
12:05we began training very hard
12:07on all of the ranges,
12:09shot as much ammunition as we possibly could.
12:18At the same time,
12:19US tank crews in America
12:21were also training hard.
12:22Captain Eric Schwartz
12:26was among the first
12:27to try an entirely new
12:28video game-like approach to training.
12:32We did a lot of training inside of simulators
12:34that looked like a big box,
12:38a modular unit
12:39where you had all four members of the tank.
12:43So you had the driver
12:45and then you had the loader
12:46and he had his specific functions
12:48and then the gunner.
12:48So that's the first time
12:49you have the synchronisation of the crew.
12:51You could go in your simulators
12:53and move on a battlefield,
12:56a virtual battlefield together.
12:58Roger, that's all I see out there.
13:00Gunner, Sabo, two tanks,
13:01left tank first.
13:02You're fine.
13:06Douglas McGregor and Eric Schwartz
13:08operated the M1 Abrams tank.
13:11It was developed in the 1970s
13:13after the US and Germany
13:15tried and failed
13:16to agree on a common tank design.
13:18The M1 was a marvel of technology.
13:21Built by Chrysler in the 1980s.
13:25In my mind,
13:26the M1 is the finest tank
13:28that's out there.
13:29Well, I'm biased,
13:31but it is a fine, fine tank.
13:33It's better than driving a car.
13:35It has a better braking system
13:36than your car.
13:37When you drive your car,
13:38it's just you and only you.
13:40In that tank,
13:41it's four people operating as one.
13:44And I think that's what's...
13:46That's probably
13:47the most beautiful part about it.
13:50The difference between
13:51the M1A1 Abrams tank
13:53and other earlier versions
13:55is almost as though
13:56you went from
13:57a propeller plane,
13:59propeller-driven plane,
14:00to a jet aircraft.
14:04The M1 was designed
14:05at the height of the Cold War.
14:07It was to provide an advantage
14:09to US troops
14:10almost certainly outnumbered
14:12by their Soviet enemies.
14:14But by 1990,
14:15it still had never seen combat.
14:18The M1 was a large tank,
14:20outweighing the T-72
14:21by more than 20 tons,
14:23but it had its advantages.
14:25Its cannon was equipped
14:26with a gyroscopic stabilizer
14:28that allowed it to fire
14:30with high precision,
14:31even on the move,
14:32and a night vision system
14:34able to spot enemies
14:35800 meters away in the dark.
14:39Most importantly,
14:40it had a unique armor
14:41called Chobham.
14:44Chobham armor was developed
14:46at a place called Chobham
14:47in Surrey in England
14:48in the 1960s.
14:50And if you make
14:51a ceramic layer
14:53or a grid
14:54of ceramic tiles,
14:57suspend that
14:58in a very clever mesh system
15:00along with other layers
15:02such as gaps, rubber,
15:04steel as well,
15:05you put that together
15:06and for its weight and size
15:08it's much more effective
15:09at stopping incoming rounds,
15:12whether they're hollow-charged weapons
15:14or whether they're metal darts
15:16fired by other tanks.
15:17That has a greater stopping power
15:19for the width and the weight.
15:22Indeed,
15:23there have been no penetrations.
15:26A crew protected
15:28with Chobham armor
15:28would have been completely safe.
15:30In a tank with conventional armor,
15:32either type of attack
15:33would have killed them.
15:35One of the problems
15:36with real Chobham armor
15:37is you can't bend it,
15:39which is why
15:40most modern Western tanks
15:42have that very faceted look
15:45about them
15:45instead of the curve-shaped,
15:47because that's because
15:48underneath the skin,
15:49that's where that Chobham armor
15:51packs, as they're called,
15:52are often placed.
15:53In the fall of 1990,
15:58Douglas MacGregor
15:59and the M1 crew
16:00stationed in Germany
16:01began their move.
16:03They left the Green Plains
16:04of Germany
16:05for Al-Jubai,
16:06a port city
16:07in Saudi Arabia.
16:08It took three weeks
16:12for the entire
16:13regimental battle group
16:14to move
16:15because the tanks
16:17went from Bremerhaven
16:18on ship
16:19all the way down
16:20to the Persian Gulf.
16:21So we flew down
16:22and literally offloaded
16:23the tanks
16:24that we'd brought with us
16:25from Germany
16:25on the docks.
16:31For the first time
16:32in history,
16:33US tank crews
16:34would face
16:35modern Soviet tanks,
16:36but not in Cold War Europe,
16:38but instead
16:39in the middle
16:39of the Arabian desert.
16:44The United States
16:46led a coalition
16:47of 28 countries.
16:49Their combined forces,
16:502,000 tanks
16:51and 600,000 soldiers,
16:54but they faced
16:55a distinct disadvantage.
17:01Most of us
17:01had never seen any action.
17:03In fact,
17:03I think in the squadron
17:04there were only two
17:04that had served in Vietnam.
17:06So none of us
17:07at that point
17:07had ever been shot at.
17:09If you're green
17:09and you've never been
17:10in combat before,
17:11you think it's great
17:12to be the first
17:13into action.
17:14It's only after
17:15you've been in war
17:16for a while
17:16you realize
17:17that being the first
17:17in is not always
17:18a great idea.
17:27On February the 23rd
17:28at 4 a.m.,
17:30Douglas MacGregor
17:30and his tank
17:31crossed the Saudi border.
17:33The greatest armies
17:36in the world
17:37are there.
17:38The Americans,
17:39the British,
17:39the French
17:40and the Arab countries.
17:42All of these formations
17:44are pulling in the line
17:44is quite an achievement
17:46and I'll never forget that
17:47for the rest of my life.
17:52It was the single
17:53largest military operation
17:55since the end
17:55of World War II.
17:56But in the vast
17:59Arabian deserts,
18:01U.S. tanks
18:01were faced with
18:02one of the most
18:03hostile environments
18:04on Earth.
18:09The desert is a very
18:10unforgiving place
18:12and when you think
18:12you have it figured out,
18:14it'll throw you
18:14something new.
18:15Whether it's sandstorms
18:16or whether it's heat
18:17or whether it's terrain
18:18or whether it's
18:20just unexpected
18:21wadi systems,
18:23cracks, rocks,
18:24mountains,
18:25it's so diverse out there.
18:28The sand clogged
18:29the tank engine's filters.
18:31Iraqi tanks
18:32could appear suddenly
18:33at any moment
18:34against the blazing horizon
18:35and also ever
18:37on their mind
18:37a possible chemical attack
18:39from Saddam Hussein's
18:40air force.
18:43As one part
18:44of the coalition army
18:45crossed into Kuwait
18:46to free the occupied country,
18:48Douglas MacGregor's unit
18:49drove into Iraq itself.
18:51their mission
18:54to cut off
18:55the Republican Guards' retreat.
18:59But finding them
19:00was no easy task
19:01in a desert
19:02half the size of Germany
19:03with no landmarks
19:05of any kind.
19:10Just before heading
19:11for Iraq,
19:12the M1 was equipped
19:13with a navigation aid
19:15developed by the U.S. Army
19:16in the 1960s.
19:18It was still
19:20in its early testing stages
19:21and it was far from perfect.
19:24It was the ancestor
19:25of the GPS.
19:27Those worked intermittently.
19:30From time to time
19:30you would lose the signal
19:32and then you would
19:33pick the signal up again
19:34and then make the adjustment.
19:37But even with GPS,
19:39MacGregor's unit's
19:40progress was slow.
19:43The coalition's commanders
19:44feared getting bogged down
19:46in a new Vietnam
19:47and proceeded
19:48with the utmost caution.
19:51On February the 26th,
19:53the tanks were ordered
19:54to halt.
19:56Then all of a sudden
19:57when I was considering
19:58why I'd ever gone
19:59into the army
19:59to begin with,
20:00came the Shamal,
20:02this horrendous
20:03desert sandstorm.
20:05And that grounded
20:07all of the aircraft
20:08over us.
20:08There were other areas
20:09where aircraft would flight,
20:10but in my area
20:11there was nothing flying.
20:13You couldn't see
20:14more than perhaps
20:15initially 15 to 20 metres
20:18and you could pick out
20:20hot spots with your thermals
20:22so you knew
20:24there was something out there,
20:25you just didn't quite
20:26know what it was.
20:30When the sandstorm
20:31finally cleared,
20:32the American tanks
20:33found themselves
20:34facing 60 Iraqi T-72s
20:37half buried
20:38in the desert sands.
20:41They were buried
20:45so that only the top part
20:47shows above their ditch.
20:51Something like
20:52one quarter
20:53to three quarters
20:54if you like.
20:57So the tank
20:57can be down in a hole
20:58and you can't even
20:59see the top of it.
21:00But at a particular time
21:02a command is given
21:03and the tank comes
21:04out of the hole
21:05onto a step
21:06and has a position
21:08where it can scan
21:09everywhere.
21:10And then it fires
21:10and fires
21:11and then it goes
21:11back in the hole.
21:15But the Iraqi army
21:16was caught off guard.
21:19They hadn't expected
21:20an attack
21:20from the deep desert.
21:22The T-72 tanks
21:23barely had time
21:24to turn their guns
21:25towards the M1s
21:26swooping down on them.
21:30We went right
21:31through them
21:32and that's when
21:32we did run
21:33into real minefields.
21:36It blew up
21:38and it rocked
21:38the 70 ton tank.
21:39We literally lifted up
21:41and a fireball
21:42went across the tank
21:43and I remember
21:44the driver
21:44who was from
21:46Leadville, Colorado
21:46he said
21:47what was that?
21:49I said
21:50don't worry about it
21:51keep driving.
21:56A wave of M1 tanks
21:58swept away
21:59everything in their path.
22:00their stabilizer
22:06allowed the tanks
22:07to fire
22:07with high precision
22:08even while driving
22:0950 kilometers per hour.
22:11If it would permit you
22:12to hit the target
22:13with absolute accuracy
22:15that was incomprehensible
22:17to us.
22:18So all you had to do
22:19was pull the trigger.
22:21You're talking about
22:22T-72 turrets
22:24being thrown
22:25into the air
22:25bursting into flame.
22:27You're talking about
22:27the people coming out
22:28Iraqi soldiers
22:30and officers
22:30coming out of tanks
22:31burning.
22:35The US tank crews
22:36found a weakness
22:37in the T-72's design.
22:41The ammunition
22:42was placed low
22:43in the gun turret.
22:45If it was hit
22:46the turret
22:47would burn in seconds
22:48leaving its crew
22:49no chance of escape.
22:50by 10.30pm
22:55Apache and Cobra
22:56attack helicopters
22:58arrived to support
22:59the M1 tanks
23:00on the ground.
23:04The coalition's
23:05victory was complete.
23:12Iraqi soldiers
23:13surrendered en masse.
23:16Douglas MacGregor
23:17and the other soldiers
23:18discovered that
23:18the dreaded Iraqi
23:19Republican Guard
23:20was not what
23:21it was made out to be.
23:23When the T-72's
23:25of the Iraqi army
23:27were firing
23:27at some
23:28of the American
23:30Abrams and British
23:30tanks
23:31they later found
23:31that they were
23:32firing practice
23:33ammunition.
23:34In other words
23:35it wasn't
23:36something that was
23:37going to ever
23:38have a chance
23:39of penetrating
23:39the armour
23:40the special
23:41Chobham armour
23:42that's on
23:42the British
23:43and the American
23:44tanks.
23:44It was the last
23:49great battle
23:50in tank history
23:51and ended
23:52with a complete
23:53coalition victory.
23:56Douglas MacGregor's
23:57unit allowed
23:58the remainder
23:58of the Republican
23:59Guards
23:59to retreat
24:00to Baghdad.
24:01on February
24:15the 28th
24:161991
24:17a ceasefire
24:18was declared
24:18and Kuwait
24:19was freed.
24:22The war
24:22in Kuwait
24:23was a disaster
24:23for the Iraqi
24:24army's tank
24:25forces.
24:25It was a tipping
24:27point
24:27which would
24:28later lead
24:29to the fall
24:29of Iraq.
24:3430 Iraqi
24:35tanks were
24:36destroyed
24:36in only
24:3723 minutes
24:38of combat.
24:39The disastrous
24:40outcome of this
24:41battle was
24:42analysed in
24:43Moscow.
24:44In the Russian
24:44capital
24:45military high
24:46command
24:46concluded
24:47that Iraqi
24:48strategy
24:48rather than
24:49Soviet tanks
24:50was at fault.
24:51The Soviets
24:52constantly had
24:53that reassurance
24:54this is not
24:55how we would
24:56have done
24:56it behind
24:57their thoughts
24:59it's really
25:00about the
25:01nature of
25:01the warfare
25:01they intended
25:02to use
25:02so I don't
25:03think that
25:03knocked
25:04their confidence.
25:08In 1991
25:09the US's
25:10high-tech
25:11tanks
25:12established
25:12a new
25:13order
25:13in the
25:13world
25:13of
25:14armoured
25:14warfare.
25:17Soviet
25:18tanks
25:18meanwhile
25:19faced
25:19as uncertain
25:20a future
25:21as the
25:21country
25:22they came
25:22from.
25:25the
25:26Soviet
25:27empire
25:27collapsed
25:28in on
25:28itself.
25:29Its tanks
25:29had lost
25:31their power
25:31to hold
25:31its people
25:32in check.
25:32In January
25:33the Lithuanians
25:34had proclaimed
25:35their independence
25:35and fought
25:36tanks with
25:36bare hands
25:37and blankets
25:37to blind
25:38them.
25:38the Lithuanians
25:39had proclaimed
25:40their independence
25:41and fought
25:42tanks with
25:42bare hands
25:43and blankets
25:44to blind
25:44them.
25:52In August
25:53of 1991
25:54when a coup
25:55d'etat
25:55attempted
25:56to oust
25:56popular
25:57Soviet
25:57leader
25:57Gorbachev
25:58tanks
25:59were unable
26:00to quash
26:00the uprising.
26:01on December
26:05the 26th
26:061991
26:06the Soviet
26:07Union
26:08was officially
26:08dissolved
26:09after nearly
26:1070 years
26:10of existence.
26:13For the
26:14Red Army
26:15it was a
26:15disaster.
26:19The Red
26:20Army war
26:21machine
26:21and its
26:22industrial
26:22complex
26:22shrinks
26:23massively.
26:24One of
26:24the main
26:25huge tank
26:26building
26:26complexes
26:26ends up
26:27in the
26:27Ukraine
26:28so half
26:29its capacity
26:30in essence
26:31is lost
26:32during the
26:33independence
26:34process.
26:35It was a
26:36very difficult
26:37period for us.
26:39Some tank
26:39manufacturers
26:40managed to
26:41survive
26:41but unfortunately
26:42a lot
26:43didn't.
26:44For instance
26:45the Urolwagansavod
26:46factory held
26:47out.
26:47But the
26:48tractor factory
26:49in Chelyabinsk
26:49that also
26:50built the
26:51famous T-72
26:52tanks
26:52had to
26:53close down.
26:54The factory
26:55in Omsk
26:55went through
26:56a rough
26:56period
26:57and managed
26:57to pull
26:58through.
26:58despite
26:59discontinuing
27:00their tank
27:00production.
27:03At the
27:04end of
27:041991
27:05the USSR
27:06splintered
27:07into 15
27:08independent
27:08states.
27:10Russia
27:10inherited
27:10three quarters
27:11of Soviet
27:12territory
27:12but was
27:13itself
27:14not a
27:14stable
27:14country.
27:16In
27:16November
27:17of 1991
27:18Chechnya
27:19declared
27:19its
27:20independence.
27:21The
27:21Russian
27:22government
27:22in
27:22Moscow
27:23opposed
27:23this
27:24secession.
27:25One
27:25year
27:26later
27:26Chechen
27:27president
27:27Dudaev
27:29refused to
27:29sign a new
27:30treaty of
27:30federation
27:31with Russia.
27:32Russia
27:36and
27:37the
27:37Russian
27:38government
27:38decided to
27:53quash the
27:53Chechen
27:54independence
27:54movement
27:55by once more
27:56sending in
27:57their tanks.
27:59They're
28:00looking at
28:00past experience
28:01which is
28:01this idea
28:02that tanks
28:02are very
28:03awe-inspiring.
28:05So this
28:05idea
28:06they're coming
28:06with the
28:07Red Army
28:07that alone
28:09is going
28:10to win
28:10the day.
28:11The
28:12Russian
28:12army's
28:13most modern
28:13tank
28:14was called
28:14T-80
28:15of which
28:16some
28:165,000
28:17had been
28:17built.
28:19It was
28:20the fastest
28:20Soviet tank
28:21ever
28:21nicknamed
28:22the
28:22flying
28:23tank.
28:23It was
28:26the first
28:26to be
28:27equipped
28:27with a
28:27gas
28:28turbine
28:28engine
28:28which
28:29gave
28:29it
28:29a
28:29top
28:30speed
28:30of
28:3070
28:31kilometers
28:31per
28:31hour.
28:33Unlike
28:33the
28:33T-72
28:34which was
28:34a
28:34mass
28:35production
28:35tank
28:36the
28:36T-80
28:37was
28:37reserved
28:37for
28:38the
28:38army's
28:38elite.
28:41In
28:42December
28:421994
28:43the
28:43Russian
28:44army
28:44launched
28:44an
28:45attack
28:45into
28:45Chechnya.
28:46The
28:47Russian
28:47Secretary
28:48of
28:48Defense
28:48was
28:49certain
28:49it
28:50would
28:50only
28:50be
28:50a
28:50matter
28:51of
28:51days
28:51to
28:51take
28:52the
28:52capital
28:52Grozny.
28:53My
29:07first
29:07impression
29:10when I
29:10crossed
29:10the
29:10city
29:11I
29:13barely
29:13recognized
29:14the
29:14place.
29:16There
29:16were only
29:16some
29:17fragments
29:17of
29:17streets
29:18and
29:18buildings.
29:20Everything
29:20was
29:20destroyed.
29:21And
29:23then I
29:23saw the
29:24incredible
29:24number
29:25of
29:25armored
29:25vehicles
29:26that
29:26had
29:26been
29:26brought
29:27to
29:27our
29:27repair
29:27shop.
29:30Andrej
29:31Brinkin
29:31was a
29:31Russian
29:32engineer
29:32specializing
29:33in tank
29:33repair.
29:37He was
29:3832
29:38when he
29:39was sent
29:39to
29:39Grozny
29:40as part
29:41of the
29:41Russian
29:41Maikop
29:42brigade.
29:43He was
29:44horrified
29:45by what
29:45he found
29:45there.
29:46The
29:49brigade
29:50had
29:50lost
29:5020
29:51of
29:51its
29:5126
29:51tanks
29:52during
29:52the
29:52first
29:53two
29:53days
29:53of
29:53fighting.
29:57The
29:57soldiers
29:58who were
29:58caught
29:59in the
29:59massacre
29:59of
30:00December
30:0031st
30:01to
30:01January
30:011st
30:02told
30:02me
30:03what
30:03happened.
30:05The
30:06Maikop
30:06brigade
30:07had
30:07entered
30:07the
30:08city
30:08in
30:08absolute
30:09silence.
30:11They
30:11drove
30:12to
30:12the
30:12train
30:12station.
30:13They
30:15looked
30:15around.
30:16People
30:16were
30:16walking
30:17around.
30:18Cars
30:18were
30:18there.
30:19Nothing
30:20could
30:20foretell
30:21the
30:21horror
30:21that
30:21was
30:22about
30:22to
30:22follow.
30:23And
30:23suddenly
30:24the
30:24trap
30:25closed
30:25in
30:25on
30:25them.
30:38The
30:38Maikop
30:39brigade's
30:39tank
30:40column
30:40was
30:40torn
30:40to
30:41shreds
30:41without
30:41time
30:42to
30:42react.
30:43800
30:45out
30:46of
30:461,000
30:46men
30:47perished.
30:49The
30:50massacre
30:50continued
30:51during
30:51the
30:51following
30:51days.
30:5574
30:55Russian
30:56soldiers
30:56were
30:57taken
30:57prisoner.
31:04Andre
31:05Brinkin
31:05discovered
31:06the face
31:06of the
31:06enemy.
31:09That
31:09of
31:10the
31:10Chechen
31:10army.
31:13army.
31:14The
31:16Chechen
31:16forces,
31:16they've
31:17got a lot
31:18of weaponry
31:18that's been
31:19there since
31:19the Soviet
31:20period.
31:21They've
31:21got a lot
31:21of simple
31:22things like
31:22RPG weapons,
31:24rocket
31:24propelled
31:24grenades.
31:25They knew
31:26they were not
31:26going to be
31:27stopping
31:27the Russian
31:29army in
31:30the field
31:30meeting
31:31them in
31:31traditional
31:32battle.
31:32army.
31:33Don't
31:34forget
31:34that in
31:37the
31:37Chechen
31:38army,
31:39soldiers
31:39were not
31:40inexperienced
31:41recruits,
31:42but veterans
31:43who were
31:43between
31:4430 and
31:4440 years
31:45old,
31:46and who
31:47had served
31:47before
31:47in the
31:48Soviet
31:48army.
31:52Those
31:53were trained
31:53and mature
31:54men.
31:55They
31:55were brave.
31:57They
31:57would stop
31:57at nothing.
32:02Their
32:04strategy
32:05against
32:05Russia's
32:06tanks,
32:07urban
32:07warfare.
32:18First,
32:19the
32:19Chechens
32:19would block
32:20a street
32:20with some
32:21of the
32:21few
32:21armored
32:22vehicles
32:22they
32:22possessed.
32:24Their
32:24goal
32:24was to
32:25lure
32:25the
32:25Russian
32:26convoy
32:26into
32:27an
32:27ambush.
32:32They
32:33knew
32:33the
32:33capacity
32:34of
32:34the
32:34T-tanks
32:35that
32:35were
32:35coming
32:35against
32:36them.
32:36So
32:36you've
32:37got
32:37people
32:37with
32:37rocket
32:38propelled
32:38grenades
32:38hiding
32:39in a
32:40second or
32:40third
32:40floor
32:40window,
32:41firing
32:41down
32:42where
32:42the
32:42armors
32:42thin
32:42is.
32:44From
32:45buildings
32:45overlooking
32:46the
32:46street,
32:47Chechen
32:47snipers
32:48destroyed
32:48the
32:48first
32:49and
32:49the
32:49last
32:49tank
32:50of
32:50the
32:50column.
32:53This
32:53would
32:53trap
32:54the
32:54rest
32:54of
32:54the
32:54tanks,
32:55allowing
32:55them
32:56to
32:56be
32:56picked
32:56off
32:56one
32:57by
32:57one.
32:57Traditionally
32:58with
32:59urban
32:59warfare
32:59the
33:00argument
33:00has
33:00always
33:01been
33:01you
33:02need
33:02infantry
33:02as
33:02well
33:03so
33:03that
33:03they're
33:03flushing
33:04out
33:05tank
33:05killer
33:06squads
33:06that
33:06might
33:07be
33:07there
33:07ready
33:07to
33:07knock
33:08out
33:08your
33:08tanks
33:08but
33:09the
33:09conscripts
33:10are
33:10very
33:10reluctant
33:10to
33:11leave
33:11their
33:11vehicles
33:12in
33:12the
33:12first
33:12place
33:12which
33:12makes
33:13them
33:13even
33:13more
33:13vulnerable.
33:17After
33:18four days
33:18of
33:19fighting
33:19some
33:20200
33:20armoured
33:21vehicles
33:21were
33:21destroyed.
33:242,000
33:24soldiers
33:25had been
33:25killed.
33:27The
33:28Russian
33:29tank
33:29offensive
33:30had
33:30become
33:30a
33:30disaster.
33:32The
33:32army
33:32gathered
33:33its
33:33remaining
33:33forces
33:34outside
33:34the
33:35city
33:35to
33:35review
33:36its
33:36strategy.
33:37This
33:38time
33:38the
33:39tanks
33:39were
33:39to be
33:39screened
33:40by
33:40infantry
33:40in
33:41order
33:41to
33:42counter
33:42anti-tank
33:43fire.
33:45These
33:46forces
33:47would
33:47advance
33:47street
33:47by
33:48street
33:48in
33:48smaller
33:49groups.
33:51Andre
33:51Brinkin
33:52stayed
33:52in
33:52Grozny
33:52for
33:53two
33:53months
33:53of
33:53fighting.
33:54The
33:59first
33:59Chechnya
34:00campaign
34:00served
34:01to show
34:01one
34:02thing,
34:03that you
34:03shouldn't
34:03go headlong
34:04into
34:04such a
34:05situation
34:05unprepared.
34:09Simple
34:10soldiers
34:10and officers
34:11paid
34:12with
34:12their
34:12lives.
34:16I
34:16saw
34:17that
34:17with
34:17my
34:17own
34:18eyes.
34:24In
34:26two
34:27years,
34:27the
34:27war
34:28in
34:28Chechnya
34:28claimed
34:2930,000
34:30lives.
34:33In
34:34August
34:341996,
34:36Russian
34:36President
34:37Boris
34:37Yeltsin
34:38was forced
34:39to call
34:39for a
34:39ceasefire
34:40and open
34:41negotiations
34:41with the
34:42Chechens.
34:43It was
34:43an
34:43unmitigated
34:44humiliation
34:45for
34:45Russia.
34:46What I
34:47think
34:47Grozny
34:48does
34:48for a
34:48number
34:48of the
34:49Western
34:49nations
34:49is
34:50it
34:50initially
34:51there's
34:51that
34:51sense
34:52of
34:52don't
34:53put
34:53tanks
34:54in
34:54an
34:54urban
34:54area
34:54because
34:55it
34:55can
34:56bottle
34:56them
34:56up
34:56and
34:56it
34:57channels
34:57them
34:57it
34:57gives
34:58anti-tank
34:58teams
34:59multiple
35:00avenues
35:00to
35:01approach
35:01a
35:01tank
35:02and
35:02be
35:02hidden
35:03so
35:03they
35:04can
35:04knock
35:04a
35:04tank
35:04out.
35:05So
35:05unless
35:05you've
35:06got
35:06your
35:06tactics
35:07very
35:07worked
35:08through
35:08using
35:09infantry
35:09to
35:10help
35:10protect
35:10the
35:10tanks
35:10the
35:11tanks
35:11can
35:11be
35:12of
35:12use
35:12in
35:12an
35:12urban
35:12area
35:13but
35:13they
35:14need
35:14infantry
35:14with
35:15them
35:15to
35:15get
35:15the
35:16best
35:16value.
35:23The
35:29question
35:30on
35:30everybody's
35:31mind
35:31was
35:31can
35:32tanks
35:33fight
35:33in
35:33modern
35:34urban
35:34warfare
35:35or
35:36are
35:36they
35:36nothing
35:36but
35:36steal
35:37death
35:37traps
35:38for
35:38their
35:38crews.
35:43At
35:44the
35:44end
35:44of the
35:451990s
35:46soldiers
35:46around
35:47the
35:47world
35:47had
35:47come
35:47to
35:48realise
35:48how
35:48vulnerable
35:49tanks
35:49could
35:49be
35:50especially
35:50in
35:51urban
35:51warfare.
35:52In
35:53such
35:53times
35:54of
35:54uncertainty
35:55developing
35:55new
35:56tanks
35:56was
35:56a
35:57costly
35:57endeavour
35:57that
35:58most
35:58manufacturers
35:59shied
36:00away
36:00from.
36:01Instead
36:02they
36:03focused
36:03on
36:03improving
36:04older
36:04tanks.
36:05The
36:06most
36:06successful
36:07company
36:07to do
36:08so
36:08was
36:08German
36:09arms
36:09producer
36:09Krauss
36:10Maffei
36:10maker
36:11of
36:11the
36:11Leopard
36:122
36:12tank.
36:14In
36:141994
36:15the
36:16company
36:16signed
36:17contracts
36:17with
36:18the
36:18German
36:18Swiss
36:19and
36:19Dutch
36:19armies
36:19to
36:20modernise
36:20their
36:21fleet
36:21of
36:21leopards.
36:22They
36:23focused
36:24on
36:24improving
36:24crew
36:25protection
36:25especially
36:26by
36:27reinforcing
36:27the
36:28turret
36:28armour.
36:32Where
36:33the
36:33German
36:34defence
36:35industry
36:35has been
36:36very
36:36clever
36:36they've
36:37also
36:37kept
36:38together
36:38a
36:38sort
36:39of
36:39user
36:39group
36:40so
36:40that
36:41you
36:41can
36:41buy
36:41spare
36:42parts
36:42and
36:42maintain
36:43those
36:43tanks
36:44so
36:44you
36:44have
36:44a
36:44confidence
36:45you're
36:45not
36:45buying
36:46something
36:46that
36:46might
36:46have
36:46a
36:47limited
36:47lifespan
36:47and
36:49Krauss
36:49Maffei
36:49Wegmann
36:50for example
36:51they've come
36:51up with
36:51something
36:52they call
36:52Leo
36:52Ben
36:53which is
36:53all the
36:54different
36:54countries
36:54that
36:55use
36:56leopard
36:57tanks
36:58can sit
36:58round
36:58together
36:59they talk
36:59about
36:59spare parts
37:00issues
37:00they talk
37:01about
37:01operational
37:01issues
37:02so it's
37:02a very well
37:03supported
37:04and maintained
37:05tank
37:05the
37:09leopard
37:10too
37:10was
37:10the
37:10world's
37:11most
37:11widely
37:11sold
37:12tank
37:12with
37:13at
37:13least
37:1316
37:14countries
37:14armies
37:14operating
37:15it
37:15but
37:18nobody
37:18knew
37:19how
37:19it
37:19would
37:19fare
37:20in
37:20the
37:20real
37:20world
37:21as
37:21it
37:21had
37:21never
37:22seen
37:22battle
37:22as
37:25the
37:25world
37:25entered
37:26the
37:2621st
37:26century
37:27tanks
37:28appeared
37:28more
37:28questionable
37:29than
37:29ever
37:30as
37:30they
37:31faced
37:31the
37:31challenges
37:31of
37:32modern
37:32warfare
37:33would
37:36there
37:36still
37:36be
37:36a
37:36place
37:37for
37:37them
37:37in
37:37wars
37:37to
37:38come
37:38it
37:51didn't
37:52hit
37:52home
37:52to
37:52me
37:53until
37:53I
37:54called
37:54my
37:54mom
37:55and
37:55my
37:56mom
37:57was
37:57watching
37:58the
37:58television
37:58and
37:59she
37:59said
38:00you're
38:01going
38:02back
38:02to
38:02war
38:02and
38:04I
38:04said
38:04no
38:04I'm
38:05not
38:05mom
38:05she
38:06said
38:06yes
38:07you're
38:07she
38:08said
38:08this
38:08means
38:08war
38:09on
38:11September
38:12the
38:1211th
38:122001
38:13US
38:14tank
38:14commander
38:15Eric
38:15Schwartz
38:16found
38:16out
38:16that
38:17his
38:17country
38:17was
38:17under
38:18attack
38:18from
38:18the
38:19terrorist
38:19group
38:19Al-Qaeda
38:20at
38:21the
38:22same
38:22time
38:22in
38:22Baghdad
38:23Rad
38:24Amdani
38:24by
38:25now
38:25commander
38:25of
38:26the
38:262nd
38:26Republican
38:26Guard
38:27Corps
38:27alerted
38:28the
38:28Iraqi
38:29general
38:29staff
38:30I
38:32told
38:32them
38:33the
38:33towers
38:34did
38:34not
38:34collapse
38:34in
38:35New
38:35York
38:35but
38:36in
38:36Baghdad
38:36the
38:38officers
38:38asked
38:39me
38:39why
38:40are you
38:40saying
38:40that
38:41I
38:42said
38:42we're
38:43the
38:43ones
38:43who
38:43are
38:43going
38:43to
38:44pay
38:44even
38:45though
38:45we
38:45had
38:45no
38:45part
38:46in
38:46it
38:46in
38:46this
38:47work
38:47in
38:48this
38:48work
38:49Rad
38:50turned
38:50out
38:51to
38:51be
38:51right
38:51US
38:53president
38:53George
38:54W.
38:54Bush
38:54denounced
38:55Iraq
38:55as part
38:56of
38:56the
38:56so-called
38:57axis
38:57of
38:57evil
38:58it
38:59soon
38:59became
38:59clear
39:00that
39:00this
39:01would
39:01mean
39:01a
39:01full-scale
39:02invasion
39:02of
39:02Iraq
39:03in
39:052002
39:06Eric
39:06Schwartz
39:07was back
39:07in the
39:07Middle
39:08East
39:08this
39:09time
39:09as
39:09battalion
39:10commander
39:10he
39:11would
39:11lead
39:12US
39:12operations
39:13from
39:13Kuwait
39:13with
39:14the
39:14latest
39:14model
39:15of
39:15the
39:15Abrams
39:15tank
39:16the
39:18M1A2
39:19was an
39:20upgrade
39:20version
39:21relying
39:21on a
39:22computer
39:22to show
39:23battle
39:23progress
39:23in
39:24real
39:24time
39:24on
39:31the
39:31Iraqi
39:31side
39:32Radhamdani
39:33knew
39:33that
39:33this
39:34would
39:34be
39:34a
39:34battle
39:34they
39:35could
39:35not
39:35win
39:35they
39:37were
39:37low
39:38on
39:38spare
39:38parts
39:39and
39:39their
39:39T-72
39:40tanks
39:41had
39:41proven
39:41to
39:41be
39:41obsolete
39:42he
39:44resolved
39:45to tell
39:45Saddam Hussein
39:46the
39:46uncomfortable
39:47truth
39:47I
39:51told
39:51him
39:51Mr.
39:52President
39:53if war
39:53breaks out
39:54this army
39:55corps
39:55will not
39:56be worth
39:56anything
39:56and I
39:58went on
39:58if we can't
39:59avoid this
40:00war
40:00we have to
40:00change our
40:01combat methods
40:02we have to
40:03switch to
40:03guerrilla
40:04warfare
40:04the
40:06president
40:07interrupted
40:07me to
40:08say
40:08General
40:09Rad
40:09do you
40:10want to
40:10scare us
40:10with words
40:11I
40:13answered
40:13as a
40:14soldier
40:14it is
40:15my
40:15duty
40:15to
40:15tell
40:15the
40:16truth
40:16about
40:16the
40:16state
40:16of
40:17our
40:17forces
40:17he
40:19smiled
40:20and
40:20repeated
40:20that
40:21I
40:21had
40:21to
40:21be
40:21in
40:21the
40:21photo
40:21with
40:22him
40:22when
40:24we
40:24left
40:24the
40:24audience
40:25hall
40:25I
40:25thanked
40:26God
40:26several
40:26times
40:27hoping
40:27that
40:28the
40:28president
40:28would
40:28take
40:29my
40:29advice
40:29but
40:32General
40:33Hamdani's
40:34warning
40:34went
40:34unheeded
40:35in
40:36Baghdad
40:36there
40:36was
40:37no
40:37longer
40:37any
40:37real
40:38chain
40:38of
40:38command
40:39Hamdani
40:41understood
40:42that
40:42his
40:42soldiers
40:43would
40:43be
40:43left
40:43to
40:43their
40:44own
40:44devices
40:44on
40:44the
40:45battlefield
40:45it
40:46would
40:46be
40:47each
40:47man
40:47for
40:47himself
40:48facing
40:49desperate
40:50odds
40:50Eric
40:56Schwartz
40:57was
40:57among
40:57the
40:58first
40:58to
40:58face
40:58the
40:58chaotic
40:59remains
40:59of
41:00the
41:00Iraqi
41:00army
41:00in
41:01late
41:02March
41:02of
41:022003
41:03his
41:04unit
41:04crossed
41:04the
41:05Euphrates
41:05river
41:05without
41:06meeting
41:06much
41:07resistance
41:07they
41:09covered
41:09700
41:09kilometers
41:10arriving
41:11south
41:11of
41:11Baghdad
41:12in
41:12the
41:12al-mamadiyah
41:13district
41:14there
41:14they
41:15faced
41:15a
41:15surprise
41:16T-72
41:17tanks
41:18hidden
41:18in
41:18the
41:18streets
41:19of
41:19the
41:19city
41:19ready
41:20to
41:20fire
41:20at
41:21them
41:21a
41:24tank
41:24fight
41:24in
41:25the
41:25middle
41:25of
41:25the
41:25city
41:26a
41:26first
41:27for
41:27him
41:27we
41:29are
41:29fully
41:29out
41:29of
41:29the
41:30tank
41:30fully
41:30exposed
41:31out
41:31of
41:31the
41:31tank
41:31and
41:32we're
41:32looking
41:32for
41:32tanks
41:33it
41:33is
41:33so
41:34undoctrinal
41:34unconventional
41:35nothing
41:37that we'd
41:37ever
41:37thought
41:38we'd
41:38see
41:38that
41:39was
41:39the
41:40flavor
41:40of
41:40the
41:40day
41:40they
41:40were
41:40everywhere
41:41they
41:41were
41:41in
41:41parking
41:42garages
41:42they
41:44were
41:44in
41:44back
41:45alleys
41:45they
41:46were
41:46in
41:47the
41:47middle
41:47of
41:48streets
41:48we
41:50we'd
41:51be
41:51driving
41:51down
41:51the
41:52street
41:52and
41:52they
41:53could
41:53come
41:53out
41:5420
41:5630
41:56meters
41:57away
41:57and
41:57they
41:58could
41:58get
41:59you
41:59whoever
42:03fired
42:03first
42:04would
42:04win
42:04it
42:05was
42:05a
42:06matter
42:06of
42:06improvising
42:07the
42:11US
42:12tank
42:12crews
42:13had
42:13not
42:13trained
42:13for
42:14short
42:14distance
42:14fighting
42:15in
42:16your
42:17M1
42:17you
42:18have
42:18to
42:18have
42:18a
42:18standoff
42:19distance
42:19of
42:19greater
42:20than
42:20200
42:20meters
42:21in order
42:21to get
42:21a
42:21proper
42:22ballistic
42:22solution
42:23so
42:24many
42:24times
42:25we
42:25were
42:25having
42:25to
42:25go
42:25degraded
42:26because
42:27you'd
42:27turn
42:28a
42:28corner
42:28and
42:28there
42:28would
42:28be
42:28a
42:29tank
42:29right
42:29there
42:29like
42:31100
42:32150
42:34meters
42:34away
42:34which
42:36brings
42:36the next
42:37problem
42:37is because
42:38when that
42:38tank
42:38blows
42:39up
42:39it
42:41has
42:4130
42:42plus
42:42rounds
42:42of
42:42ammunition
42:43on
42:43it
42:43and
42:44they
42:44blow
42:44up
42:44too
42:45one
42:46of
42:47the
42:47biggest
42:47problems
42:47inside
42:48tanks
42:48is
42:48as
42:48soon
42:49as
42:49you're
42:49penetrated
42:49by
42:50an
42:50incoming
42:50round
42:51you
42:51are
42:52in
42:52essence
42:52a
42:53mobile
42:53bomb
42:53because
42:54you've
42:54got
42:54all
42:55the
42:55propellant
42:56for
42:56the
42:56rest
42:56of
42:57firing
42:57out
42:57the
42:58rounds
42:58out
42:58of
42:58your
42:59own
42:59gun
42:59as
43:00well
43:00as
43:00quite
43:00often
43:00a
43:01fuel
43:01supply
43:01so
43:02you
43:02not
43:02only
43:02shoot
43:03the
43:03tank
43:03and
43:04destroy
43:05the
43:05tank
43:05you
43:06now
43:06have
43:07secondary
43:08explosions
43:09fires
43:10buildings
43:11catching
43:12fires
43:12palm
43:13groves
43:14catching
43:14fires
43:15it's
43:17messy
43:17despite
43:19the risks
43:20Eric
43:20Schwartz's
43:21unit
43:21managed
43:22to
43:22destroy
43:23seven
43:23modernized
43:24T-72
43:24tanks
43:25which
43:26were
43:26among
43:26the
43:26best
43:26the
43:27Iraqi
43:27army
43:27still
43:28had
43:28a
43:33soldier
43:33filmed
43:34what
43:34happened
43:34next
43:35when
43:38U.S.
43:38tanks
43:39assaulted
43:39Baghdad
43:40the next
43:40day
43:41they
43:41faced
43:42rocket
43:42launchers
43:43and
43:43suicide
43:44vehicles
43:44trying
43:45to
43:45ram
43:45them
43:46to
43:47attack
43:48to
43:48attack
43:49the
43:49Iraqis
43:54threw
43:54everything
43:55they
43:55had
43:56into
43:56this
43:56last
43:56desperate
43:57stand
43:58they
43:58even
43:59managed
43:59to
43:59damage
43:59and
44:00capture
44:00one
44:00M1
44:01tank
44:01it
44:02was
44:02a
44:02godsend
44:03for
44:03Iraq's
44:04propaganda
44:04trying
44:05to
44:05prop
44:05up
44:05a
44:06failing
44:06regime
44:06and
44:09suddenly
44:09after
44:10four
44:10days
44:10of fighting
44:11silence
44:12it
44:15became
44:16quiet
44:16it
44:17called it
44:17the golden
44:18hour
44:18the time
44:19the time
44:19when
44:20nothingness
44:22happened
44:22and there
44:24was nobody
44:25on the streets
44:26and there
44:26were no fighters
44:27anymore
44:28they had all
44:28gone somewhere
44:30the streets
44:32there were
44:33dead bodies
44:34all over
44:36the place
44:37coalition
44:44armoured
44:45vehicles
44:45conquered
44:46the Iraqi
44:46capital
44:47the symbols
44:50of the
44:50government
44:50fell
44:51one by
44:51one
44:52and
44:56Saddam Hussein's
44:5723 year
44:58long reign
44:58came to
44:59an end
44:59Eric
45:01Schwartz
45:01went home
45:02three months
45:03later
45:03the end
45:05of the
45:06fighting
45:06marked the
45:06beginning
45:07of a
45:07new
45:07period
45:08of the
45:08Iraq
45:08war
45:09military
45:10occupation
45:10and
45:11guerrilla
45:11warfare
45:12that
45:13was
45:13something
45:13the
45:14M1
45:14Abrams
45:15was not
45:15built
45:16for
45:16in
45:232007
45:24and
45:252008
45:25three
45:26tanks
45:26were
45:27destroyed
45:27and
45:27four
45:28American
45:28soldiers
45:29killed
45:29the
45:31weapon
45:32responsible
45:32was a
45:33Russian
45:33rocket
45:34launcher
45:34called
45:34RPG-29
45:36it had
45:37a tandem
45:37warhead
45:38the first
45:39to damage
45:39the M1's
45:40Chobom
45:40armour
45:41the second
45:42to follow
45:42immediately
45:43after
45:43and destroy
45:44the tank
45:45the M1's
45:46the M1's
45:46seemed destined
45:51for the same
45:52kind of losses
45:52the T-80
45:53had incurred
45:54in Chechnya
45:55the Americans
45:58come up with
45:59something called
45:59the Tusk
46:00system
46:00which is
46:01basically for
46:02urban operations
46:03it's what you
46:04can do
46:04to an
46:05Abrams
46:05tank
46:06to give it
46:07better protection
46:08better visibility
46:09and better chance
46:10of responding
46:11in an urban area
46:12the Tusk
46:15or Tank Urban Survival Kit
46:17included several upgrades
46:19for the M1
46:20it added armour
46:22to the gun station
46:23a phone to talk to
46:24accompanying infantry units
46:26and most importantly
46:27tiles of reactive armour
46:29aim to reduce the damage
46:31from tandem warheads
46:32when an incoming warhead
46:39impacted these tiles
46:40they exploded outwards
46:42destroying the warhead
46:44and protecting
46:44the main armour
46:45underneath
46:46by 2008
46:49all American tanks
46:50in operation
46:51in Iraq
46:51were equipped
46:52with the Tusk system
46:53Tusk was an upgrade
46:55but not a miracle solution
46:57at the same time
46:59the world
46:59faced a major
47:00economic crisis
47:02developing new tanks
47:04became even more
47:05of a luxury
47:05for most countries
47:06the age-old question
47:09arose once more
47:10was it really worth
47:12or necessary
47:12to have tanks at all?
47:15certain militaries
47:16come to the conclusion
47:17that they
47:17either can't afford tanks
47:20or don't think
47:21there's a real role
47:22for tanks
47:22in the modern battlefield
47:23Canada famously
47:25decides it doesn't
47:27need tanks at all
47:28in the Canadian
47:29defence forces
47:30as did Holland
47:31sometime later
47:32the Netherlands
47:33decided
47:33thank you very much
47:34we don't think
47:35tanks now
47:36are part of
47:37what we need
47:38as an armed force
47:39tanks belong to the past
47:44now that you can
47:47destroy them
47:48from a distance
47:49they no longer
47:49have any value
47:50even smaller tanks
47:55or tanks
47:56with the newest technology
47:57this is a new era
48:00of warfare
48:01and weapons
48:02Moscow
48:11May 9, 2015
48:13Russia held its yearly parade
48:16to celebrate its victory
48:17in World War II
48:18President Vladimir Putin
48:21presided
48:21flanked by
48:22Mahmoud Gureyev
48:23World War II
48:25veteran
48:25and retired
48:26army general
48:26but this year
48:33the parade
48:34did not only
48:35celebrate the past
48:36but ushered in
48:37a new era
48:38the Russian army
48:39unveiled a new tank
48:41it had developed
48:41in utter secrecy
48:43the T-14
48:44it's woken up
48:50in the west
48:50that actually
48:51this is something
48:52it's actually
48:53physically
48:54a very much
48:55bigger tank
48:55using much more
48:56technology
48:57than the Russians
48:57were doing
48:58in the past
48:59for 20 years
49:04no western country
49:05had developed
49:06a new tank
49:07but unbeknownst
49:10to everyone
49:11Putin's Russia
49:12had
49:12the T-14
49:16when he came to power
49:17in 2000
49:18Putin had set out
49:19to restructure
49:20and re-equip
49:21the Russian army
49:22with the T-14
49:24he had now
49:25given it a new weapon
49:26the T-14
49:29was a major break
49:30with all previous
49:31Russian tank designs
49:33its manufacturer
49:35Yural Vagonsavod
49:36had abandoned
49:37the philosophy
49:38that had led
49:39to the T-34
49:40of World War II fame
49:41as well as
49:42the T-55
49:43and T-72
49:44of the Cold War
49:45on the Gulf War
49:46I think the Russians
49:52would never want
49:52to admit
49:53that they
49:53said goodbye
49:55to their simplicity
49:56and their reliability
49:57which was a keyword
49:59for their earlier tanks
50:00they've now gone
50:01in a slightly
50:02different direction
50:03of using technology
50:04much more
50:06to the fore
50:06much of the T-14
50:09remains classified
50:10but we do know
50:12that it takes
50:12big strides
50:13towards the full
50:14robotisation
50:15of tanks
50:15for the first time
50:18in the world
50:19it has an unmanned turret
50:20the three-man crew
50:22is housed in an armoured capsule
50:24underneath the tank's
50:25main armour
50:26and isolated
50:27from the ammunition
50:28from here
50:30they can drive the tank
50:31control the turret
50:32and fight
50:33as added protection
50:38these tanks
50:39have what is called
50:39active armour
50:40codenamed
50:41Afghanit
50:42it has a radar
50:50that can detect
50:51and localise
50:52incoming projectiles
50:54it fires a counter shot
50:56in the same direction
50:57destroying the incoming round
50:59the T-14
51:02also features
51:03a 125mm cannon
51:06the most powerful yet
51:08mounted on a modern
51:09main battle tank
51:10got a more powerful gun
51:16on it
51:16it's now got
51:17a longer rod penetrator
51:18which means
51:19it can go through
51:19more armour
51:20so that means
51:21it can likely
51:22to take on
51:22what we thought
51:23were our well-protected
51:24western tanks
51:25such as the Abram
51:26or the Challenger
51:27or the Leopard 2
51:28now they've got
51:29a weapon system
51:30that can potentially
51:31take those on
51:32so that's why
51:33I think
51:33it's woken up
51:34the west
51:35certainly
51:36into the potential
51:37of tanks again
51:38the T-14
51:43will be the most
51:44modern tank in the world
51:45when it enters full service
51:46in total
51:502,300 tanks
51:52have been ordered
51:52by the Russian army
51:53for delivery by 2020
51:55a hundred years
51:58after its birth
51:58the tank arms race
52:00seems back on
52:01but what does that say
52:03about the balance of power
52:04in our world
52:05and will this new arms race
52:07usher in a new kind
52:08of conflict as well
52:09and will this new
52:12and will this new
52:13and will this new
52:14and will this new
52:15and will this new
52:15and will this new
52:16and will this new
52:16and will this new
52:17and will this new
52:18and will this new
52:19and will this new
52:19and will this new
52:20and will this new
52:20and will this new
52:21and will this new
52:22and will this new
52:22and will this new
52:23and will this new
52:24and will this new
52:24and will this new
52:25and will this new
52:26and will this new
52:27and will this new
52:28and will this new
52:28and will this new
52:29and will this new
52:30and will this new
52:30and will this new
52:31and will this new
52:32and will this new
52:33and will this new
52:34and will this new
52:35and will this new
52:36and will this new
52:37and will this new